Multiple position reclining chair with extendible head-rest



p 24, 1963 F. F. SCHLIEPHACKE 3,104,912

MULTIPLE POSITION RECLINING CHAIR WITH EXTENDIBLE HEAD-REST Filed Oct.31. 1960 m-roelvs s United States Patent 3,194,912 MULTELE Ptl illfihlRE LINING CHAIR WETH PEAB-REST Fridtof F. Schiiephache,Beriinchmargendorf, Germany, assigncr to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach,Fla. Fiied Get. 31, 1964 Ser. No. 66,217 7 Claims. {CL 297-61) Thisinvention relates to improvements in reclining chairs and in particularrelates to improved head-rest structure arrangement for reclining chairsof the multiple position type.

The usual multiple position reclining chair generally comprises asupport frame and a body-supporting structure including a back-rest andseat mounted on the support frame for movement through a first motionphase from an upright sitting position to an intermediate position andthen for further movement through a second motion phase to a fullytilted or reclining position. The means for mounting the body-supportingstructure generally provides a pair of guide links mounted on thesupport frame or upon a member stationary relative to the support frameand connected to the front and rear portions of the seat, the guidelinks pivoting rearwardly during the first motion phase to carry thebody-supporting structure to its intermediate position. Rearwardmovement of the guide links is then blocked at the intermediate positionand the body-supporting structure turns about a fixed pivot during thesecond motion phase.

In multiple position chairs of this type, it is often necessary toprovide a low back-rest because of styling requirements. At the sametime, it is also required that the occupants head be properly supportedin the intermediate and fully tilted positions. For these reasons, it isadvantageous to provide a separate head-rest which can extend upwardlyabove the top surface of the backrest, acting as an extension of theback-rest to support the occupants head in the tilted positions. Theheadrest must be stored and concealed within the back-rest in theupright sitting position of the chair and means must be provided tooperate in response to movement of the body-supporting structure to theintermediate position for raising the head-rest to an extended position.These means must be also capable of maintaining the head-rest in thisextended position during the second motion phase when thebody-supporting structure is brought to its fully tilted position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a head-rest controlarrangement of the type described which includes a minimum number oflinks so that it is extremely compact, inexpensive in manufacture andassembly, and can be incorporated within the relatively slim stylingrequirements of the chair parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a headrest controlarrangement of the character described which is coupled with the guidingmechanism for the bodysupporting structure so as to utilize the movementof such guiding mechanism in bringing the head-rest to its extendedposition during the first motion phase and maintaining the head-rest inthe same extended position during the second motion phase.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features andadvantages of the present invention, there is provided amultiple-position reclining chair including a body-supporting structuremounted for movement upon the pair of guide links, the guide linksturning rearwardly during the first motion phase to carry thebody-supporting structure from an upright sitting position to anintermediate, tilted sitting position and then are blocked at the latterposition so that further movement of the body-supporting structure isconstrained to turning movement about a pivot fixed relative to thesupport frame with the guide links maintaining a fixed relationship tothe body-supporting structure during this second motion phase. The chairalso includes a headrest structure pivotally mounted on the back-restfor movement between a retracted and extended position and control meansfor moving the head-rest between these two positions. The control meanscomprises an extension of one of the guide links, and actuating linkconnected to said extension and extending rearwardly along the seat, adrive link connecting said actuating link to said head-rest structure,and means, preferably in the form of pin-and-slot couplings, for guidingthe upward movement of the drive link in such a manner as to move thehead-rest from its retracted to its extended position when the drivelink is moved by said guide link extension through the actuating linkduring the first motion phase.

The above brief description, as well as additional objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated byreferring to the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment of the invention when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view with parts broken away and shown.insection of a reclining chair incorporating the head-rest controlarrangement of the present invention, the chair being shown in anupright sit-ting position with the head-rest in its retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1, but showing thechair in its intermediate, tilted sitting position with the head-rest inits extended head-supporting position and with the structure of thesupport frame omitted for convenience of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but showing thechair in a fully tilted or reclining position with the head-restmaintained in its extended headsupporting position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, there is shown a reclining chair ofthe multiple position type incorporating the head-rest actuatingarrangement of the invention. The chair comprises a support framedesignated generally by the numeral 10 and including a pair of spacedside frames 12 and 14 interconnected by cross-bars or braces such as thecross-bars 16 and 1%. The frame 1% is supported above the floor level bylegs 29.

The chair also includes a body-supporting unit generally designated byreference numeral 22 and comprising a rigidly-formed seat 24 andback-rest 26. The bodysupporting unit 22 is movably mounted on thesupport frame 10 by a seat control linkage, generally designated byreference numeral 28, which guides the unit through a first motion phaseto the intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in FIG. 2 and thenthrough a second motion phase to the fully-tilted or reclining positionshown in FIG. 3.

The seat control linkage 28 includes a carrier member 39 and a pair ofmember 30 is disposed below the seat 24 and is mounted at its rear endon the support frame 10 by pivot 32. The front guide link 34 is mountedby pivot 36 on the forward end of carrier member Bi! and is connected bypivot 33 to the forward end portion of seat 24. The rear guide link 40is mounted by pivot 42 on an intermediate portion of the carrier member30, and at its upper end is connected to seat 24 by pivot 44 at a pointon the seat spaced rearwardly of pivot 33.

In the upright sitting position of the chair shown in FIG. 1, thecarrier member 30 extends forwardly and substantially horizontally fromits pivotal mount 32, resting immovably upon the cross-bar 18, so thatit in effect guide links 34 and 4d. The carrier 5 constitutes atemporarily fixed portion of the support frame 16'. The front and rearguide links 34 and 40 extend forwardly and upwardly from theirrespective pivotal mounts 36 and 42 on the carrier member 30 to supportthe seat 24 in the upright sitting position of FIG. 1. The rear guidelink 40 in this position rests upon an abutment provided by an extension46 of the carrier member 30, this extension 46 preventing the guidelinks from pivoting forwardly under weight of the chair occupant.

When the occupant of the chair wishes to assume a more relaxed position,he leans rearwardly against the body-supporting unit 22, causing theguide links 34 and 40 to turn rearwardly about their respective pivotalmounts 36 and 42 on the stationary carrier member 30. In this firstmotion phase, the body-supporting unit 22 is carried rearwardly by theguide links and is slightly tilted. The first motion phase terminates byengagement of the rear guide link 40 with a rigid projection 48 on thecarrier member 30, the body-supporting unit 22 being then disposed inthe intermediate, tilted sitting position of FIG. 2.

When the occupant then wishes to assume a more reclined position forfurther relaxation, he applies further rearward pressure against thebody-supporting unit 22. The guide links 34 and 40 can no longer turnrearwardly relative to the carrier member 30 and further rearwardmovement of the unit is now provided by pivoting movement of saidcarrier member about its pivotal mount 32 on the support frame. Thecarrier member 30' thus turns upwardly and rearwardly about its pivotalmount 32, rising from the cross-bar 18, and carrying the body-supportingunit 22 through a second motion phase from the intermediate position ofFIG. 2 to the fully-tilted or reclined position of FIG. 3. During thissecond motion phase, the body-supporting unit 22 is rigidly coupled tothe carrier member 30 by engagement of the rear guide link 40 with theprojection or stop 48. The fully-tilted position is established byengagement of the carrier member 30 with the lateral flange 52 of abracket 50 aflixed to the support frame 10.

The chair also includes a retractable head-rest 69 and an actuatinglinkage 68 for moving the head-rest from a retracted position to anextended, head-supporting position during the first motion phase, andfor maintaining the head-rest in its extended position during the secondmotion phase.

The head-rest 69 is carried by a bar or arm 64, the free end of which ismounted on the back-rest 26 by pivot 66. In the upright sitting positionof the chair shown in FIG. 1, the arm 64 depends from its pivotal mount66 and the head-rest is contained within a hollow recess 62 in the rearupper central portion of the back-rest 26. In this retracted position,the head-rest 60 is fully contained in said recess 62 and is concealedtherein. The arm 64 is adapted to turn upwardly about the pivot 66 toraise the head-rest 60 through an angle of nearly 180 to the extendedhead-supporting position of FIGS. 2 and 3. In this position, thehead-rest 60 is spaced above the top edge of the back-rest26 and itsforward surface is oriented with the forward surface of the back-rest tosupport the head of the occupant. To permit such pivoting movement, thetop end of the back-rest 26 is provided with a slot communicating withrecess 62 and of sufficient width to provide clearance for the arm 64 asit moves to' its upright position.

The actuating linkage 68 includes a rigid extension 34a of the frontguide link 34, an actuating link 70 and a drive link 76. The front guidelink extension 34a projects upwardly beyond the pivotal connection 38 ofthe front guide link 34 with seat 24. The upper or free end of extension34a is connected by pivot 72 to the forward end of actuating link 70.The latter extends rearwardly and substantially longitudinally of theseat, and at its rear end is connected by pivot 74 to the lower end ofdrive link 76, the latter extending upwardly along the 4 back-rest 26.The upper end of drive link 76 is connected by pivot 78 to the arm 64carrying head-rest 60 at an intermediate point closely spaced from thepivotal mount 66 of said arm 64.

The pivot 74 is in the form of a pin or stud and extends slidably withina slot 80 in the body-supporting unit 22. At an intermediate pointthereon, the drive link 76 carries a second pin or stud 82 which extendsslidably within a slot 84 in the back-rest 26. The slots 86 and 84 areinclined upwardly and rearwardly to guide movement of the drive link 76when the latter is moved by actuating link 70, and to cause said drivelink 76 to move upwardly or longitudinally along the back-rest 26.

In the upright sitting position of FIG. 1, the pins or studs 74 and 82are located at the bottom ends of the respective slots 80 and 84, sothat the drive link 76 is in its lowermost position. The head-rest 64 isin its retracted position within the back-rest recess 62, and the arm 64extends downwardly from its pivotal mount 66 and rearwardly of drivelink 76. The pivot 78 is located below and slightly to the rear of saidpivotal mount 66.

As the body-supporting unit 22 is moved rearwardly during the firstmotion phase, the front guide link 34 turns rearwardly about its pivotalmount 36 on the stationary carrier member 30 and its extension 34a turnsrearwardly about pivot 38, the extension 34a moving rear- Wardly agreater distance than the seat 24. The extension 34a thus thrusts theactuating link 70 rearwardly along the seat 24 and the rear end ofactuating link 70 is moved upwardly by the action of pin or stud 74 inslot 86. The lower end of the drive link 76 is thus moved upwardly andslightly rearwardly, and the pin 82 also moves upwardly in the slot 84to further guide the drive link 76.

As the drive link 76 is moved during the first motion phase, it exertsan upward and rearward force upon the headrest arm 64 at pivot 78,causing the arm 64 to turn about its pivotal mount 66. At theintermediate position of FIG. 2, the pins 74 and 82 are located at theupper ends of the respective slots 80 and 84, and the drive link 76 isin its uppermost position. The head-rest arm 64 has been turned throughan angle of almost and the head-rest 60 is located in its extendedposition spaced above the top edge of the back-rest 26.

During the second motion phase, the front guide link 34 rises with theseat 24 and the carrier member 30 so that it does not turn about pivot38. Consequently, the front guide link extension 34a maintains a fixedposition relative to the seat 24 as does carrier member 30, actuatinglink 70, drive link 76 and head-rest 60. The headrest 60 thereforeremains in its extended position during the second motion phase so thatin the fully-tilted position of FIG. 3 it is in the same positionrelative to the back-rest 26 as it was in the intermediate position ofFIG. 2.

When the chair occupant desires to restore the chair to the upright orsitting position, it is merely necessary to urge his or her weightforwardly and press against the leg-rest (not shown), and the chair will'move through the reverse sequence of operations, with the head-restremaining relatively stationary throughout the second movement phase anduntil such time as the intermediate tilted sitting position isestablished. However, in response to the reverse movement through thefirst movement phase, the head-rest will swing rearwardly relative tothe back-rest and be restored to the stored position illustrated inFIG. 1. a

While'a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed herein, it is obvious that numerous omissions, changes, andadditions may be made in such embodiment without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is: 1. A head-rest control arrangement for a multipleposition reclining chair including a support frame, a seat and back-reststructure, a carrier member pivotally mounted on the support frame, afront and rear guide iink pivotally mounted on the carrier member andpivotally connected to spaced points on the seat for movement of theseat and back-rest structure through a first motion phase in which bothguide links turn rearwardly to bring the seat and back-rest structurefrom an upright sitting position to an intermediate tilted sittingposition, and then through a second motion phase in which rearwardturning movement of the front and rear guide links is blocked and thecarrier member turns about its pivotal mount on the support frame tomove the seat and back-rest structure to a fully tilted position, and ahead-rest structure; said head-rest control arrangement comprising meanspivotally mounting the head-rest structure on the upper end portion ofthe back-rest for movement from a retracted position within a recess inthe rear surface of the back-rest to an extended position above the topedge of the back-rest and substantially aligned with the forward surfacethereof, a drive link operatively connected to the head-rest structureand extending downwardly along the back-rest, an actuating linkconnected to the free end of the drive link, an extension of the frontguide link pro jecting beyond the pivotal connection of the front guidelink with the seat, said extension being connected to the free end ofthe actuating link and adapted to move said actuating link when saidguide links turn during the first motion phase, and means for guidingthe drive link in an upward and rearward direction for moving theheadrest structure to its extended position when the drive link is movedby said actuating link during the first motion phase, said guide linkextension maintaining a fixed position relative to the body-supportingstructure during the second motion phase, whereby the head-reststructure is maintained in its extended position.

2. A head-rest control arrangement according to claim 1 in which thehead-rest structure includes an arm secured to said head-rest andprojecting longitudinally therefrom and the means mounting the head-reststructure in the back-rest includes a pivot mounting said arm on theupper forward portion of the back-rest.

3. A head-rest control arrangement according to claim 2 in which saiddrive link is pivotally connected to said arm at a point proximate tothe pivotal mount of the arm on the back-rest, said arm depending fromsaid pivotal mount in the retracted position of the head-rest structureand extending upwardly from said pivotal mount in the extended positionof the head-rest structure.

4. A head-rest control arrangement according to claim 1 in which theguide means for said drive link comprises at least one pin carried bysaid drive link and an upwardly and rearwardly-inclined slot in saidback-rest slidably receiving said pin.

5. A head-rest control arrangement according to claim 1 in which theguide means for said drive link comprises a first pin at the pivotalconnection between said drive link and said actuating link, a second pinat an intermediate point on said drive link and a pair of upwardly andrearwardly-inclined slots respectively receiving said pins for slidingmovement therein.

6. A head-rest control arrangement for a multiple position recliningchair including a support member, a seat and back-rest structure, acarrier member pivotally mounted on the support member, a front guidelink pivotally mounted on said carrier member and a rear guide linkpivotally mounted on one of said members, said front and rear guidelinks being pivotally connected to spaced points on the seat formovement of the seat and back-rest structure through a first motionphase in which both guide links turn rearwardly to bring the seat andback-rest structure from an upright sitting position to an intermediate,tilted sitting position, and then through a second motion phase in whichrearward turning movement of the front 6 and rear guide links is blockedand the carrier member turns about its pivotal mount on the supportframe to move the seat and back-rest structure to a fully tiltedposition, and a head-rest structure; said head-rest control arrangementcomprising means pivotally mounting the head-rest structure on the upperend portion of the backrest for movement from a retracted positionwithin the back-rest to an extended position above the top edge of thebackrest and substantially aligned with the forward surface thereof, adrive link operatively connected to the head-rest structure andextending downwardly along the back-rest, an actuating link connected tothe free end of the drive link, an extension of one of the guide linksprojecting beyond the pivotal connection of said one guide link with theseat, said extension being connected to the free end of the actuatinglink and adapted to move said actuating link when said guide links turnduring the first motion phase, and means for guiding the drive link inan upward and rearward direction for'moving the head-rest structure toits extended position when the drive link is moved by said actuatinglink during the first motion phase, said guide link extensionmaintaining a fixed position relative to the body-supporting structureduring the second motion phase, whereby the head-rest structure ismaintained in its extended position.

7. head-rest control arrangement for a multiple position reclining chairincluding a support member, a seat and back-rest structure, a carriermember pivotally mounted on the support member, a front guide linkpivotally mounted on said carrier member and a rear guide link pivotallymounted on one of said members, said front and rear guide links beingpivotally connected to spaced points on the seat for movement of theseat and back-rest structure through a first motion phase in which bothguide links turn rearwardly to bring the seat and back-rest structurefrom an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sittingposition, and then through a second motion phase in which rearwardturning movement of the front and rear guide links is blocked and thecarrier member turns about its pivotal mount on the support frame tomove the seat and back-rest structure to a fully tilted position, and ahead-rest structure; said head-rest control arrangement comprising meanspivotally mounting the head-rest structure on tl e upper end portion ofthe back-rest for movement from a retracted position within a recess inthe rear surface of the back-rest to an extended position above the topedge of the back-rest and substantially aligned with the forward surfacethereof, a drive link operatively connected to the head-rest structureand extending downwardly along the back-rest, an actuating linkconnected to the free end of the drive link, an extension of the frontguide link projecting beyond the pivotal connection of the front guidelink with the seat, said extension being connected to the free end ofthe actuating link and adapted to move said actuating link when saidguide links turn during the first motion phase, and means for guidingthe drive link in an upward and rearward direction for moving thehead-rest structure to its extended position when the drive link ismoved by said actuating link during the first motion phase, said guidelink extension maintaining a fixed position relative to thebody-supporting structure during the second motion phase, whereby thehead-rest structure is maintained in its extended position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A HEAD-REST CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR A MULTIPLE POSITION RECLININGCHAIR INCLUDING A SUPPORT FRAME, A SEAT AND BACK-REST STRUCTURE, ACARRIER MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT FRAME, A FRONT AND REARGUIDE LINK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE CARRIER MEMBER AND PIVOTALLYCONNECTED TO SPACED POINTS ON THE SEAT FOR MOVEMENT OF THE SEAT ANDBACK-REST STRUCTURE THROUGH A FIRST MOTION PHASE IN WHICH BOTH GUIDELINKS TURN REARWARDLY TO BRING THE SEAT AND BACK-REST STRUCTURE FROM ANUPRIGHT SITTING POSITION TO AN INTERMEDIATE TILTED SITTING POSITION, ANDTHEN THROUGH A SECOND MOTION PHASE IN WHICH REARWARD TURNING MOVEMENT OFTHE FRONT AND REAR GUIDE LINKS IS BLOCKED AND THE CARRIER MEMBER TURNSABOUT ITS PIVOTAL MOUNT ON THE SUPPORT FRAME TO MOVE THE SEAT ANDBACK-REST STRUCTURE TO A FULLY TILTED POSITION, AND A HEAD-RESTSTRUCTURE; SAID HEAD-REST CONTROL ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING MEANS PIVOTALLYMOUNTING THE HEAD-REST STRUCTURE ON THE UPPER END PORTION OF THEBACK-REST FOR MOVEMENT FROM A RETRACTED POSITION WITHIN A RECESS IN THEREAR SURFACE OF THE